Rescued by Tragedy

We need tragedy far more than we need prosperity. Prosperity—that rightful pursuit our country is founded upon—most often leads to the flaws in our character or the indulgent passivity that turns to vice or indifference. Tragedy elicits the more noble and heroic characteristics of our composition.

As I watch everyday heroes respond to the Hurricane Harvey, I hear and see tales of extraordinary sacrifice, grit, determination, compassion and grace. My friend, who lives East of Houston, has all but lost everything. Every day he leads a rag-tag team of volunteers to feed and resource 3,000 people. He said to me, “Jeff, I don’t think I’ll ever be the same after seeing babies’ bodies floating down the street…I can’t put it into words.” He has been rocked and yet it has caused him to rally with compassion, grit, sacrifice and determination.

We hear the tales of carnage and the underside of man each day, because the media knows that sex, murder, and calamity sell. This onslaught of debauched humanity causes us to think the world is just that way, and people are just that way. And, in many respects, they are; but the story is not fully told. When opportunities arise that require the more noble aspects of who we are to break forth, we see that people—when re-directed to think of others rather than themselves—are amazingly good.

Scripture tells us that hardship, tests, and trials are what lead to perseverance and endurance, which ultimately lead to a mature faith. The Father won’t allow us to wither in a den of prosperity any more than in a den of iniquity. Both extremes require a loving Father to act.

We need to be rescued from our comfort, excess, success, and abundance. Tragedy has a way of bringing out our faith expressed in noble character.

I have no idea what you may be going through. I just know everyone is going through something. But, I can tell you it is for your good, because a loving Father is bringing out the best in you